Lyrids meteor shower 2017

The Lyrids are a strong meteor shower lasting from April 17 to April 26 each year. Their peak this year is around April 22 with a rate of 18 meteors per hour (sometimes the rate can reach 100 meteors per hour) and an average velocity of 49 km/s. The radiant of Lyrids is located close to Vega, the brightest star of the constellation Lyra. The source of the meteor shower is particles of dust shed by the long-period Comet Thatcher (C/1861 G1).

This year, unlike last year, the conditions to observe this meteor shower at its peak are very favorable, due to the absence of the Moon in the night sky (on April 22 our natural satellite will rise around 6am).